Photo-definable self-assembled materials

Abstract

The present invention provides a mesoporous material comprising at least one region of mesoporous material patterned at a lithographic scale. The present invention also provides a a method for forming a patterned mesoporous material comprising: coating a sol on a substrate to form a film, the sol comprising: a templating molecule, a photoactivator generator, a material capable of being sol-gel processed, water, and a solvent; and exposing the film to light to form a patterned mesoporous material.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A method for forming a patterned mesoporous material comprising: 
       coating a sol on a substrate to form a film, said sol comprising: a templating molecule, a photoactivator generator, a material capable of being sol-gel processed, and a solvent; and  
       exposing said film to light to form a patterned mesoporous material.  
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said light is UV radiation. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said solvent comprises ethyl alcohol. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said photoactivator generator comprises a photoacid generator. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said photoactivator generator comprises a photobase generator. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said sol further comprises an acid for adjusting the pH of said sol. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said material capable of being sol-gel processed comprises silica. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said sol further comprises an optically polymerizable monomer. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , wherein said optically polymerizable monomer comprises an epoxide monomer and said method further comprises exposing said patterned mesoporous material to light to polymerize said optically polymerizable monomer. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least two regions of said patterned mesoporous material have different physical properties. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein said at least two regions have different refractive indexes in comparison to each other. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 10 , wherein said at least two regions have different mesostructures in comparison to each other. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 10 , wherein said at least two regions have different pore volumes in comparison to each other. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 10 , wherein said at least two regions have different pore sizes in comparison to each other. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 10 , wherein said at least two regions have different thicknesses in comparison to each other. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 10 , wherein said at least two regions have different wetting behaviors in comparison to each other. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 10 , wherein said at least two regions have different etching behaviors in comparison to each other. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 10 , wherein a physical property of said different physical properties has a discrete difference for the physical property between said at least two regions. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 10 , wherein a physical property of said different physical properties varies as a gradient across said at least two regions. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises selective etching of said film. 
     
     
       21. The method of  claim 20 , wherein selective etching of said film includes irradiating said film with ultraviolet light through a mask via proximity printing. 
     
     
       22. The method of  claim 20 , further comprising the step of calcinating said mesoporous material after said at least one region has been etched. 
     
     
       23. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of calcinating said mesoporous material. 
     
     
       24. A method for forming a patterned mesoporous material comprising: 
       coating a sol on a substrate to form a film, said sol comprising: a templating molecule, a photoactivator generator, a material capable of being sol-gel processed, water, and a solvent; and  
       exposing said film to light to form a patterned mesoporous material, wherein said templating molecule comprises CTAB.  
     
     
       25. A method for forming a patterned mesoporous material comprising: 
       coating a sol on a substrate to form a film, said sol comprising: a templating molecule, a photoactivator generator, a material capable of being sol-gel processed, water. and a solvent; and  
       exposing said film to light to form a patterned mesoporous material, wherein said templating molecule comprises Brij 56.  
     
     
       26. A method for forming a patterned mesoporous material comprising: 
       coating a sol on a substrate to form a film, said sol comprising: a templating molecule, a photoactivator generator, a material capable of being sol-gel processed, water, and a solvent; and  
       exposing said film to light to form a patterned mesoporous material, wherein said photoactivator generator comprises a diaryliodonium compound.